Critical popcorn

Back in the dark days before VHS, DVD or BBC iPlayer, the only way to relive an episode of Doctor Who after broadcast was to seek out the novel adaptation produced by Target Books, a long-running series of paperbacks in which classic Doctor Who stories of old were given a new lease of life in print form. Aimed at fans who were too young to have seen the original television version, as well as those who were keen to experience the story again after many years, the Target Books fast became invaluable pieces of Doctor Who merchandise for many a Whovian throughout the years prior to the advent of home video.

Now, thanks to the team at BBC Books, five more Doctor Who stories from various periods of the show’s history get the Target treatment, including a whopping four never-before novelised episodes from the show’s revival.

Our resident Whovians Pete Messum and Matt Dennis give us their verdict on each of the new books below!

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Warrior’s Gate and Beyond

Warriors’ Gate has something of a strange history. Stephen Gallagher’s story was written for Doctor Who’s 18th season, but the scripts were extensively reworked by script editor Christopher H Bidmead and director Paul Joyce (apparently Gallagher’s scripts were more like a novel than a teleplay). While the TV serial went on to have something of a turbulent production, Gallagher was able to novelise the story in 1982 (under the pen name John Lydecker) – but this was substantially reworked and reduced in length prior to publication. It wasn’t until 2019 that the full novelisation of Warriors’ Gate (from a reassembled manuscript) was released in audiobook form, expanded and restored by the author. It’s the 2019 manuscript that has served as the basis for this new 2023 paperback edition.

As for this new Target edition, Warriors’ Gate remains something of an oddity in the Doctor Who canon. It’s a very surreal story, tackling the concepts of E-space, N-space and setting the action in the space between. The time-sensitive Tharils are an interesting alien species, while their historical dominance and present-day slavery at the hands of humanoid slave-traders make for an interesting conflict. There is something about the story that feels quite obtuse though, perhaps because of the rich universe-building in the exposition, or the lack of ‘on-screen’ action, or even simply the setting. Stephen Gallagher’s novel is something of an enlightening experience compared with the TV version, expanding on the supporting characters to give them more depth and humour, exploring the Tharils’ backstory more clearly and expanding on the concept of the time winds and the intersection without the limitations of an 80’s BBC budget. There are a number of narrative differences as well (perhaps indicative of the script’s rewrites), while Romana and K9’s departure at the end is set-up earlier on and threaded throughout the novel, resulting in a much more satisfying ending.

While I’ll admit that Warriors’ Gate is still not quite my cup of tea, this new novelisation from Gallagher expands on the narrative in a more interesting and compelling way, resulting in perhaps the best experience of the story. If you’re a fan of the TV version of Warriors’ Gate, this new novelisation is a must-have, but if like me, you’ve never quite gelled with it, this Target edition is well worth a read for a more complete experience.

Also included as part of Warriors’ Gate and Beyond are two short stories. The first, The Kairos Ring, was originally released as an audiobook as part of the Beyond the Doctor series in 2021, making this release its first in print. It follows the further adventures of Romana and Tharil Laszlo (a more significant character in the Warriors’ Gate novel), meeting new character Joshua and facing off against a new threat to the gateway. The Little Book of Fate is brand-new for 2023 and sees the Eighth Doctor encounter some familiar faces from Warriors’ Gate. Both are fun – if fairly insubstantial – continuations from the original story, and well worth reading for fans. PM

Pre-order WARRIORS’ GATE AND BEYOND here

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Planet of the Ood

With the DoctorDonna returning to our screens later this year, it’s great to see another Series 4 episode get the Target books treatment. In a series filled with great stories, it’s easy to forget just how good Planet of the Ood is, making this expanded novelisation from TV scribe Keith Temple a welcome addition to fans’ bookshelves.

This new Target novelisation of Planet of the Ood delves into the psyche of the Ood themselves, making them even more sympathetic and exploring their telepathic abilities further. Keith Temple expands on the world and characters, including the backstory of Ood Operations (with a sneaky reference to The Robots of Death), as well as Halpen, Solana and the sales reps. Some scenes deleted from the TV episode are incorporated, with the Doctor and Donna confronting Halpen earlier on (previously only seen in the Deleted Scenes on the DVD), while an entirely new scene towards the end at Ood conversion adds some more closure to the narrative.

In many ways, Planet of the Ood is the perfect Target book: taking an already great story and expanding it in interesting ways into a new format, not limited by budget or the series’ 45-minute time-slot. Highly recommended. PM

Pre-order PLANET OF THE OOD here

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The Waters of Mars

The Waters of Mars is easily one of the best Tenth Doctor stories of all time, so naturally its a must for the Target treatment. Herein, Co-Writer Phil Ford‘s novelisation takes what is already a tightly-plotted and daring story and expands upon it in ways that serve to increase the dramatic stakes considerably.

The majority of the new material wisely details the backstories of even the most minor characters from the TV episode, so that once the terrible events of Bowie Base One start to unfold, the inherent tragedy is even more effectual and heart-wrenching. The characters of Andy and Maggie especially benefit, and their terrible transformation early on in the story is all the more more devastating as a result. Ford also excels with his body horror descriptions of the Flood, and in an inspired prologue, gives the monsters their own internal monologue.

There are some new details that don’t quite gel, particularly in the flashback to young Adelaide’s encounter with a Dalek, which is unnecessarily extended here. Whilst it doesn’t overstay its welcome, it feels like perfunctory filler material at best, turning a small but beautiful moment from the TV version into an overlong and unnecessary pause in the narrative.

That aside though, The Waters of Mars proves to be a strong enough to withstand the pressure put upon it by these new additions – the story still rollicks along at a breakneck pace, whilst the emotional beats of this classic episode remain just as hard-hitting and immensely powerful as they did on screen. Simply put, The Waters of Mars is a Target Book Victorious! MD

Pre-order THE WATERS OF MARS here

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The Zygon Invasion

This new novelisation of The Zygon Invasion and The Zygon Inversion by screenwriter Peter Harness remains a faithful adaptation of the two-part Series 9 story. Fans of the TV adventure will probably be very happy with this Target novel, which not only captures the spirit of episodes, but adds an entirely new strand whilst maintaining the short, sharp prose associated with the Doctor Who Target books. For fans who weren’t too keen on the original episodes though, The Zygon Invasion does little to overcome any criticisms. Despite not being limited by a BBC budget or timeslot, Harness’ novelisation doesn’t expand upon the story, characters, themes or world-building.

The premise is interesting: after the events of The Day of the Doctor, the shape-shifting Zygons are living hidden amongst humanity on Earth, before a splinter group rise up and become terrorists. It’s a concept that was poorly established in Day, ignored for most of Series 8 and 9, and then not really expanded upon in the TV version. This novelisation adds some backstory for lead protagonist Bonnie, although it’s written in a deliberately confusing way which prevents any investment in her character, or any attempt to flesh-out the intriguing alternative world of Zygons on Earth. The real-world parallels are made even more obvious, but the Zygons don’t feel like compelling characters – or even the way they’re depicted in Day or 1975’s Terror of the Zygons. We see glimpses of some interesting world-building, yet the novel (like the TV story) shies away from expanding and developing its ideas, resulting in a narrative that only scratches the surface of its potential.

I was looking forward to seeing how Peter Harness would expand on The Zygon Invasion in this Target novelisation, but this new version suffers from all of the same issues I had with the TV story. I’m sure fans of The Zygon Invasion will enjoy this adaptation (and I would recommend it if you are a fan), but it’s safe to say that it simply wasn’t for me. PM

Pre-order THE ZYGON INVASION here

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Kerblam!

In a world where AI, automation and the unethical treatment of workers remains a continuing socio-political issue, Pete McTighe‘s Kerblam! has become even more relevant then it initially was when it first aired in 2018. This therefore qualifies it for a fresh new adaptation to further explore those parallels in greater detail. Unfortunately though, this new Target novelization of the story retains a lot of the issues from the television episode as well, which muddies the waters considerably.

Said issues remain firmly baked into the story’s DNA, and whilst the plot twist of who the actual villain is works as a clever reveal, the wider message feels muddled as a result. Worse still, the Doctor feels largely complacent (almost complicit) in the dénouement of the story and lacks the authority of previous incarnations when it comes to dealing with the terrible working conditions at Kerblam! McTighe adds a couple of paragraphs towards the end of the book to reassure the reader that everything turns out okay eventually, but it still feels like an afterthought at best. It’s a shame that the novel sticks so closely to the TV version, as there was an opportunity here to address some of its criticisms and build upon them in meaningful way for the betterment of the story. Sadly, the author doesn’t take this opportunity.

There are some other strange additions included here which fail to amount to much – a random (implied) cameo from the Seventh Doctor and Ace feels largely pointless and only exists for the purpose of fan service, whilst the wider flashbacks to Judy as a little girl are hardly revelatory.

That being said though, the book is fast paced and fun for the most part, and the characters are captured well, especially in the case of the Doctor and Graham. McTighe build suspense well across the book, and the tragic demise of a supporting character in the final third is incredibly powerful in its execution. For all its faults, Kerblam! still delivers plenty of thrills.

Pre-order KERBLAM! here

All five Doctor Who Target books are released on 13 July